Homecoming
by IrishEmmettLove
Summary: This is the story of Emmett and his journey to the Army. Will contain citrus in future chapters. If you don't remember O-town, you aren't old enough to read this.
1. Chapter 1

Many thanks to the most awesome JadedandBoring and NightstalkersKM for beta-ing this chapter.

This is based on a true life story. Dedicated to Joey.

I have an evil cat and a Jeep, but Twilight is not mine, nor will it ever be.

Reviews are better than Kellan running in sweatpants.

"The years of our youth that we will never forget. When life was simple and all we knew was love.  
The people in this book is why I choose to fight. It is for them that I am willing to lay down my life.  
There is nothing glorious about war, but I will go to it to keep the people I love away from it.  
9/11, Never Forget."

First Lieutenant Joseph J. Theinert,

2nd Platoon, Bunchee Troop, 1-71 Cavalry Battalion of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division

June 3, 2010

A loud bang snapped me out of my sleep. Rubbing my hands over my face to get the sleep out of my eyes, I rolled out of my bunk and threw on my pants. I had no idea what time it was, but the sun was peeking in through the seams of the tent. I laced up my boots at record speed. The one thing the army had taught me was to get shit done, and get it done as quickly as possible.

I exited my tent to find the source of my early morning wake up call. I located a rookie who was moving some crates around for the mess hall and had dropped the lid of one. I gave him a quick lecture on the importance of moving such things quietly, not for the reason he disturbed my sleep but because I didn't want the rest of the troops coming out of their tents guns blazing at this poor bastard. He apologized profusely. Normally I'd go for my run, but since we had patrols later on I didn't want to wear myself out. I needed to be alert. It was still early, just after 6am, and my patrol didn't start until 11 so I figured I'd go back and get a bit more rest.

Climbing back into my bunk, I slept peacefully for the next 3 and a half hours. Finally it was time to wake up so I showered and dressed. Breakfast typically consisted of chipped beef on toast, beans, eggs, spam, sausage, potatoes, biscuits, juice and coffee. The eggs tasted like shit, but covered with enough pepper and ketchup they were tolerable. Being stationed in the middle of the desert was bad enough but when you added terrible food to it, made the experience that much more enjoyable…not.

The other trick with military food, aside from covering it in ketchup and spices was to eat it fast. There were two reasons behind this. The first being the hotter it was, the better it tasted. The second was you never knew if your meal was going to be interrupted. I'm not saying we shoveled it down like a bunch of pigs, but we certainly didn't waste time to "savor" each bite. Being on base was quite different but out here, in the middle of the Afghanistan desert things could blow at any time.

After chow, I headed over to get my gear together for today's patrol. My men were ready and waiting. We headed out into Kandahar, sweeping the roads for Improvised Explosive Devices. Our task was a dangerous one, but so far every exercise I'd led out, we'd returned with all of 20 of my men unharmed.

Our sweeps used a metal detector to find the covered IED's. Care needed to be taken when sweeping, though, as many of these devices were extremely sensitive and it didn't take much to detonate them. My crew had already disabled three on our trip so far. I had just finished disarming number four when I found number five. I ordered my crew back as there was never any knowing how this was going to end.

"Lieutenant, get out of there, come on!" I heard one of the group calling to me.

"I've almost got it Paul, stay there".

"God Damn it, Emmett, get out!"

"Paul, stay back! That's an order!."

A final click sounded and all I could muster out was "Oh fuck".


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: I own a life size Emmett, but sadly not twilight. This is based on true events, and some details have been changed to protect the innocent. I've tried to keep this chapter as close to historically accurate as possible.

A big thank you to JadedandBoring for her mad beta skills!

Now, on with the show!

"Now hush little baby don't you cry. Everything's gonna be alright. Stiffen that upper lip up little lady I told you daddy's here to hold you through the night. I know mommy's not here right now and we don't know why we feel how we feel inside. It may seem a little crazy pretty baby but I promise momma's gonna be alright" Mockingbird ~ Eminem

(Nine years earlier)

I can remember September 11th, 2001 like it was yesterday.

I was sitting in Mr. Banner's history class. He always had CNN on in the background to keep up on the breaking news. Several loud gasps were heard through out the room when the first plane collided with the North Tower at 8:46am. CNN had the footage on loop until the second plane collided with the South Tower a mere 17 minutes later. Smoke was billowing out of both buildings, and every eye in the classroom was locked on the television. Aside from the commentator, there wasn't a sound in the room.

It wasn't long before we saw people jumping from the holes the planes had created in each building, some as high as the 99th floor, and I couldn't help but feel sick. The commentator was saying that this had been a pilot error. Pilot error? Really? How do you miss a huge fucking building in the middle of Manhattan? And then to have a second plane with the same exact error hit a building of identical size right next to it? Something shady was certainly afoot, and something was telling me this was no mistake.

I couldn't control the tears that began to roll down my cheeks. The firemen, police officers, and other inhabitants of New York were fleeing the streets. It seemed as though it took hours for everything to happen, when in fact it'd only been 45 minutes. A news flash of a third plane crashing into the Pentagon came across the screen and my rage began to boil up. Our beautiful land was under attack, and resembling a third world country.

Just before 10 am, the South Tower began to collapse. No more than four minutes later, we learned of Flight 93 crashing in the middle of Pennsylvania. My rage was under control but panic was starting to set in. What was going to happen next? How did this even happen in the first place?

The bell had rung several times but not a single person had moved from their seat to go to the next class. Twenty four minutes later, the North Tower began its collapse. To say we were shocked at the day's events would be an understatement. We all sat in awe as we saw the bodies of people jumping to their demise. I couldn't imagine having to make the choice of sitting there waiting for the building to collapse or to launch myself off of the upper floors, ninety something stories above the ground.

Principal Cope called a mandatory assembly in the gym. The feeling in the room was morose. No one was speaking, not even to their neighbor on the bleachers. Normally Principal Cope would have had to struggle to get us to be quiet, but not today. A pin could have dropped and it would have sounded like a bull in a china shop. The Principal began to address the students, the faculty and staff of today's events. I don't think there was a person in the room who wasn't crying. Even Willy, the school janitor who never had a decent thing to say to or about anyone, had tears streaming down his cheeks.

We were dismissed for the afternoon, and school was be closed the next day. Sure, we lived in suburbia, but we were only an hour and a half drive from Manhattan. The school district could be at risk for attack, and since the planes were targeting highly populated buildings, the board didn't want everyone together at one time.

The buses were already waiting to roll as we somberly filed out of the gym. Cell phone lines were jammed due to an influx of calls from people checking on their loved ones. I knew my family was safe, but I also knew that there were classmates who weren't going to be so lucky. My father was a doctor at St. Vincent's emergency room and fortunately he wasn't scheduled until the evening shift. My mom was a nurse, but for a practice in town.

The four of us weren't a lot to handle, but no adult in their right mind would leave three boys and one teenage girl unsupervised for extended periods of time. I headed into the parking lot to wait for my brothers. Grandma Cullen pulled up in her ancient Volvo. She was our emergency contact when our parents couldn't be reached. We didn't even know she'd been called until she pulled up. We piled into the car, with not so much as a whisper spoken amongst everyone.

As we passed mom's office, we saw a sign for a blood drive with a Red Cross van out front. We wanted to donate but since we were only 13, even with mom's permission we couldn't.

I knew then that I would join the military once I was old enough. Sure, I was only in eighth grade at that point, but I felt it was destiny. I was meant to serve.. I just needed to keep myself on track until I was old enough to make it.

School had been cancelled for the rest of the week, mostly because of safety concerns as we were so close to Manhattan. They were still pulling people out of the rubble. Dad was gone the entire week at work. The injury count they had expected to be much higher, sadly it wasn't. Uncle Alec had checked in to let us know he was ok, but he was working rescue at Ground Zero. The blood drives had been put to a halt since there wasn't as much a need as they had anticipated initially, and they didn't want to be throwing it out either. There wasn't much my brothers and I could do to help; we were too young.

Every Christmas and Thanksgiving we worked at a soup kitchen in the next town over. Mom and Dad wanted us to be thankful for what we had, and give back to others. We had a long line of relatives in public service, always doing something for the greater good. Alec was a firefighter in Brooklyn. Both grandfathers were police officers and had served in World War II and the Korean War.

Jasper was a history buff; his focus was the Civil War. He was likely going to end up teaching history somewhere. The kid could spout off random facts at the age of eight. Edward was our resident scientist. I couldn't tell you how many things he blew up in the kitchen with his bizarre experiments .We hoped God would help us once Edward was old to enough to play with real chemicals. Oddly enough he had crazy, out of control, bronze hair to complete his mad scientist look.

My thing was sports. Sure, I could pass my courses but don't ask me to retain what I had learned last week in Geometry. I could tell you the stats for the entire defensive end of the NY Giants as well as the Yankees starting line up's college stats. Edward and Jasper learned early on not to take bets against me when it came to sports trivia. I always won.

Alice was following our lead, and wanted to be a social worker or counselor of some kind. Alice's parents weren't around. No one knew why they left or where they went. In a way, Alice was better off. She practically lived at our house before they left as it was so this just made it more permanent. Her parents were crazy religious fanatics and I'm fairly certain they belonged to some cult, like Heaven's Gate. When we first met her, she'd had super long hair, wore only long skirts and had to pray for no less than three hours a day.

One day out of the blue she had mom cut her hair. Short. Like pixie cut short. Oh yea, she also dyed it black. Mom agreed to do it on the condition it was washable hair dye. She didn't want to make it permanent. I was nervous that she was going to be banned from hanging out with us.

We'd walked her home and could still hear her parents yelling half way down the road. Being the nice boys we were, we waited in front of the Johnson's tree for her, knowing she'd be at our house within the hour. She always was when they started fights with her. Mom's sewing room became Alice's room.

Her parents just packed up and left one day while we were at school. We'd walked her home from our house afterwards to find it empty, save for her bedroom. We were kids, we didn't know what had happened, and we certainly didn't know what to do with a crying girl, sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor bawling her eyes out.

I plopped down next to her and hugged her. It's all I could think of. Jasper ran home to get Mom & Dad while I tried to console her. Edward was looking for something to indicate where they had gone, but found nothing. No note, no forwarding address, nothing.

Mom didn't hesitate to tell Alice that she would live with us, no questions asked. We helped her pack her stuff up, and brought it all to the house in a few trips. A week later, a letter arrived in the mail from some attorney in Texas signing custody of Alice over to Mom and Dad. We never heard from them again. As upset as Alice was to be abandoned like that, she told us that my parents always felt more like family to her than her own did anyway. She already called our grandparents Grandpa and Grandma.

The living arraignments were going fine with the exception of Edward. He was a little put off since he wasn't used to having to share a bathroom with anyone, let alone a girl. Jasper and I shared, Edward had his own. Now he had to share with Alice, which was fine until she got her period.

Edward didn't speak for two days after that incident. His watch had fallen off the counter one morning while he was brushing his teeth and he had to rummage the can to find it. I'll never forget the screams that came out of the poor boy.

I sprinted down the hall after hearing his banshee like cry to find the contents of the bin turned out, Edward in the middle of the mess and his eyes wider than a deer in headlights. He was worried she would bleed to death. All his science knowledge didn't help him that day. I burst into hysterics once I realized he was fine.

The kid swore he paid attention in health and to the basics mom and dad taught us. Even though he knew that this would happen, knowing about it and seeing the aftermath apparently were two different things. Dad had to sit him down and give him yet another lesson, with Mom. Jasper and I wanted no participation in that one. We got it the first time around.


	3. Chapter 3

Happy Birthday Joey, you are missed.

I own an Eclipse Calendar and an Emmett Cullen is Magically Delicious T-shirt. I do not own Twilight. I don't follow a regular posting schedule.

Happy Valentine's day to the rest of you!

Many thanks to Jadedandboring for being an awesome BETA.

"Say ah hey, what's that fuss, everybody move to the back of the bus". Rosa Parks~ Outkast

Fast forward to September 11th of 2004. There was another blood drive; they've been holding them annually. The wait to donate was over an hour, but it's not like we were in any hurry to get home. Mom was handling the check in and signed our permission forms since we weren't 18 yet. Dad was already on one of the tables, his bag almost full. There was some chatter going back and forth through the line, and I was thinking about what I was going to do after graduation. Education was important to my parents, but school wasn't my strong suit. I felt the need to do something that will help people. With both mom and dad in the medical field we were encouraged to do what we could to help someone else.

I snapped out of my thoughts when my number was called. I'd been through the process enough times to the point where once I was up on the table I knew which arm had a better flow. I tried to avoid using my throwing arm, not wanting to risk anything going wrong. I was the quarter back, and our team relied on my arm. We were undefeated last season and this year was starting out the same way. We'd only had one game so far but it was our biggest rival we beat. We didn't let that go to our heads though, we couldn't afford to. We'd fought long and hard to earn our title and each time we faced we had to treat as our biggest rival. Plus, how good would it look if we lost to the weakest team in the league?

Once my bag was full they moved me into the rest area. Edward was already there. Jasper wasn't old enough to donate yet. While we were sitting there drinking our juice and eating our cookies (don't make fun, we love snack time), a gentleman in full Army dress walks in to donate. That's when it hit me; the military is where I belong. I do what I'm told, I'm a neat freak, and I've got muscle. Boot camp wouldn't ever be easy for anyone, but the way I work out it wouldn't kill me either. Now I need to discuss this plan with pops. Mom is guaranteed to flip her shit so I can't bring this up to her first. Dad won't like it but he's always supported everything we have decided on. I need to do some research of my own first. Once I had that done, then I'd sit him down and go over everything.

The following week some recruiters had come in to issue the ASVAB. Our guidance counselor neglected to inform us of this prior so there was no test preparation done. Prior to the exam commencing, the recruiters went over their branch, and the positives of each branch. We had representatives from the Army, Marines and Coast Guard. The Air Force rep was otherwise occupied. Once their small presentation was done, the test began. The test had 9 sections; each one was timed, taking over 2 hours. The test took the remainder of the school day, and since we had no classes for the second half of the school day, there was no home work assigned.

I used this time to gather as much information as I could. I found a chat board and spent numerous hours online chatting with enlisted soldiers, some of which were in other branches than the Army, but all had positive things to say about why they chose the service and their particular branch. They did remind me of the dangers that I would face every day, regardless of what mission I was assigned whether it be handling explosive devices that could blow at any time, weapons training or actual combat. I did locate one soldier from a few towns over named Maria and she gave me the name and phone number of her recruiter. We exchanged emails to keep in contact and she made me promise to let her know once I spoke with the recruiter, but also to send her any questions I could think of.

A week turned into three, and I still hadn't been able to sit down with dad and tell him my plan. I sent Maria an email, asking her for advice on breaking the news to my parents. She was super supportive and shared how her telling her parents went. They had been upset at first, knowing the risks but then they did warm up to the idea once she explained that she'd be getting her degree in nursing while serving. She was almost done with her contract and planned to apply for a permanent position within the Army.

Two days later I was finally able to sit down with dad. Edward and Jasper were out and mom was out running errands with Alice. Give either one of them a credit card and tell them to go shopping and they'd disappear for a week. I found him sitting in his office going over some paperwork. Knocking softly he told me to come in. I sat in his wingback chair across his desk. In all honesty the chair was ugly as hell but the most comfortable chair my ass has ever had the presence of gracing.

"So what can I do for you son?"

"Well dad, I wanted to talk to you about my plans for next year."

"Great! You found a school then?"

"Erm, kind of. I'll still be getting an education but it's not a typical school."

"Emmett, you know your mother and I will fully support whatever it is you choose to do. What school is it?"

"I'd actually be going to work for the government first, while getting my education."

"What do you mean by "work" for the government? I don't think they take anyone without a college degree first."

"The Army does. They'll actually pay for me to go to school."

He was speechless. I don't think that's ever happened before.

"Dad, I know you're nervous but I think this is what I'm meant to do. I'll still be getting my degree, they've got some great programs, and I'll be able to try out a lot of different things to see what fits me best, anything from engineering to a pilot or even getting a medical degree, like you."

A few more minutes passed before he spoke again.

"Are you sure about this son? It's a big undertaking, and unlike college if you hate it you can't leave. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, know that up front, but what if you were to go to school for a bit first and sign up with the ROTC? I think this way you'll be able to get a feel for it without having to commit to four years up front."

"Hmm, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll definitely consider it."

"Please do. I'll support your decision 100% no matter what you choose. You're a good kid Emmett, you've made your mother and me so very proud, and this proves that you're willing to put others before yourself. However, in this situation I think you need to put yourself first."

"Thanks dad that means a lot."

"Anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Nah, that's it. I think I hear mom so I'll go see if she and Alice need help unloading."

With that I walked down to help my mom unload the car. Once the car was unpacked we ate dinner, mom's famous macaroni and cheese. She never made it with just cheddar, but wouldn't ever tell me what else she put in it. I tried many times to learn her tricks but she was always a step ahead of me. Probably because I got distracted in the kitchen and found things to eat instead of paying full attention like I should have. Fortunately for me, mom loved to cook and bake so there was always something delicious to eat in the kitchen, but with 3 teenage boys in the house, what she made didn't last long.

I did spend some time thinking about my dad's suggestion of college first. We had a game coming up this weekend and I knew that there were going to be a few scouts in the stands. Coach told me that Albany, Rutgers and Penn State would be there. I knew my grades weren't the best so Rutgers was out, but I could still put on show for Albany and Penn. Practice was brutal that week and on top of the extra work we had to put in the heat was higher than normal for the beginning of October. Between school work, practice and just trying to sleep, I had no free time. Friday rolled around quicker than I could blink my eye. For some dumb reason school policy dictated we had to dress up for game days. You'd think they'd want us comfortable prior, not stuffed into ¾ of a monkey suit. Ties were not my thing. I looked hot wearing one for sure, but hated them with a passion, though I've been told they do have some other purposes. I'll have to look into this.

The only benefit to game days was seeing the cheerleaders in the short skirts, Jessica in particular. She was smokin' hot and had a great rack. What, I'm a guy I notice this things. Team tradition dictated that if we won, there was a huge party down on the beach, complete with bonfire. I was hoping that would be the case because I was interested in some alone time with Jess. The day flew by fortunately and we had a full team when it was game time. Before the end of the first quarter we were up 14-0. The second quarter followed in much the same fashion, aside from me getting sacked twice. Newton and Yorkie were going to get it later if they didn't get their heads out of their asses. Their only job in the game was to keep me from going down. Half time we retired back to the locker rooms with a score of 27-0. Two field goals and a touchdown was the only thing that kept me from reaming those two idiots while we were still in game play. After our pep talk from coach and running over a few plays on the boards we made it back out in time to see the cheerleaders finish up their half time routine.

Those girls could move, doing all sorts of bendy and twisty type things with their bodies. I had to force myself to look away because entering the third quarter with a raging hard on was a bad idea. I saw my nana sitting next to my dad and that took care of it. The rest of the game flew by with minimal interruption. The score going into the last 5 minutes was 34-3. The last few plays we'd been running the ball and the Porters had intercepted a loose pass so coach said this was the time to shine and show off my throwing arm.

Jasper was our running back and had gone deep on the snap. The ball was on our 40; Jasper had gone down to the Porter's 30 and caught it. He'd gone another 2 yards when he was tackled by the Porter defense. On the next snap he ran wide but Ben was open to my left and I hit him with a spiral getting us down to their 10. The clock was down to the two minute warning by this point. Coach signaled to let it rip. The first snap came back and I faked the hand off before launching it towards Jasper. He was taken down at the 7. The next play I faked the throw and handed off to Reilly, getting us down to the 4. Two plays down, and this next one had to do the trick. Sure, if it didn't we could go for the field goal by why take 3 points over 7? The snap came back and Jasper was wide open, scoring the touchdown with 30 second to go. The kicker came on but the ball went wide, missing the posts. My first reaction was anger that we'd missed the final point, but then I remembered the score was now 40-3 and I was ok with that.

A few guys doused coach with the remaining water from the coolers, while the rest rushed the field to celebrate the win. After shaking hands with the other team we headed back into the locker room to shower and change. Once we were all clean and stink free I found my family waiting for me outside.

"You had some great throws in tonight Em, I hope those scouts were on their A game tonight," my dad praised.

"Where do you want to go for dinner tonight? Your brothers are chomping at the bit," Mom inquired.

"How about we hit up La Capricciosa, I'm craving some brick oven pizza" and I was. I can eat an entire pie by myself, without blinking an eye. I'm a growing man, leave me alone.

After we arrived we all ordered quickly, I couldn't wait to get my sausage and mushroom pie. We made small talk while we ate but Edward, Jasper, Alice and I were eager to get over to the party. After dropping of our parents & nana, we made our way down to the beach. I had a 1 drink max when we went out since if I got caught, my time on the team was done, and I couldn't afford that so I was DD. Jessica was throwing her arms around my waist before I could finish pumping my beer from the keg. She brought her lips to my cheek catching the corner of my mouth. I couldn't help but smile.

"You had such a great game tonight! That score was unbelievable Emmett!"

"Thanks Jess, but you know the crowd wouldn't be as into it if it weren't for you ladies."

"Such a charmer as always."

"What can I say, I enjoy the view" I retorted smugly.

"Hmm, I can give you a much better view."

Without another word she was dragging me down the beach away from the crowd. I waved to a few of the guys and tried to keep up with her. For someone with fairly short legs, this chick was fast. The wind had picked up a bit, and I couldn't figure out how she could be remotely close to warm still in her cheerleading outfit. I had jeans and a hoodie on and I was chilled. Once we were far enough away she tugged on my hand, directing me to sit down in the sand. She stood over me, one leg on each side of mine, bending slightly to bring her lips to mine. Her lips were soft and warm. I could taste a hint of beer mixed in with her cherry lip gloss. Our tongues danced together, battling for control. My hands took purchase on her hips to guide her down onto my lap.

"Nuh-uh, not yet big boy. I promised you a better view, didn't I?"

"Mmm, I do believe you did."

No sooner had the words left my lips before she was sliding my hand up her inner thigh, under her skirt. And she had no panties on. Holy fuck. My thumb worked its way up her slit, surprised to find her folds were bare. Soft moans escaped her as I massaged her clit. I pulled my thumb away, causing her to whimper at the loss. I palmed her mound as she began to grind her pelvis against my hand in search of friction, and gently eased a finger inside her.

"Fuck that feels good", I love it when she swears.

Adding another finger made her moan more as I slid them in and out, her juices coating my hand. Watching her twirl her hips opposite my fingers was erotic as hell. Sensing she was close I returned my thumb to her clit and pushed her over the edge. When she'd finished riding the last wave of her orgasm she dropped to her knees, straddling my legs and tugged on my zipper.

"My turn "was all she said before sucking my painfully hard erection into her mouth. Her tongue was soft and warm, and it took everything I had not to fuck her mouth. I held out as long as possible but the swirling motion of her tongue as she worked her mouth up and down my cock made it a hard battle to win. I could feel my balls tighten, my release was eminent.

"Jess, I'm gonna..I'm gonna cum" and just as my cock began to erupt, she puked. All over me. I'm still spurting because there's no way to stop it and she's still puking, with my dick still in her mouth. Fuck my life. Once I'm done, she gets up and runs off, not a trace of puke on her. It's all over my pants, all over my dick. This night just turned from awesome to craptastic in all of point two seconds. I now have to walk back to the car, covered in puke and cum. There's easily over half of my school around the fire. I contemplate calling Edward or Jasper but they'd likely just start laughing hysterically. I'd probably be laughing at me too, but all I can think about is getting this shit off, it's starting to burn. I do know this however, and that's I'm never, ever letting Jessica anywhere near my junk ever again. Skirting around the edge of the group I find Jasper.

"Dude, what happened to you?" He inquires, with one eyebrow raised.

"Jessica Stanley is what happened. I need to go."

"Alright, let me grab Edward and we'll head out." He hands me his bottle of water. "You might want to wash some of that off first though. We'll meet you up at the car." Before I could thank him he was gone.

I trudged up the dunes to where my Jeep was parked. Grabbing the towel I kept in the back, I dropped trough and dumped the water on my junk and tried to get as much off as possible. I did however forget that the bottle of water was ice cold and I'm not quite sure my balls would ever forgive me for this, as they tried to climb back up into my body. I dried off and tried to warm back up a bit. It helped some but I needed a shower and dry pants desperately.

Edward took one look at my puke covered pants and started cackling like a hyena. I glared at him, told him to shut it and get in the car or else he was going to make personal friends with my fist. The ride home was quiet and cold. I couldn't turn the heat on because of the smell, and we had to ride with the windows open to air the stench out. As we got closer to home, Edward finally spoke.

"Em, what the fuck happened bro?"

" Jessica."

"Care to elaborate a bit more on that one? Like get to the part about why your crotch is covered in puke!"

"She was giving me a blow job and puked. Happy?"

The two of them chuckled.

"Only you bro, only you."

The lights were still on at the house, I could only hope mom was asleep. Dad flung the door open before my hand was even on the knob, and like the two jackasses behind me, took one look at me and just laughed. I stormed past him and up into the bathroom, tired of the stench of vomit and I'd had enough humiliation for the night. Starting the water I toss my clothing in first to rinse it off, not wanting to leave that for mom to deal with and went to piss. Wringing my jeans out, I hung them and my boxers over the empty towel rack before stepping under the steamy spray. The heat felt good, as the tension in my muscles melted away. My balls decided it was safe enough to return to their normal position. Wasting little soaping up I needed to make sure that I got it all off. The last thing I needed was an infection from her stupid ass.

Once I was satisfied I'd cleaned it all off I grabbed the towel off the warmer and made my way to my room only to find that dad had perched himself on the edge my bed with a smug grin.

"You alright son?"

"I'm fine dad, wasn't mine"

"I figured that much considering its landing pattern. Just make sure you cleaned it all off, I don't want to hear about any infections later. Did you at least enjoy yourself?"

Fuck my life. Is he seriously asking me that?

"Its fine dad, can I get dressed in peace please?" I replied while grabbing clean boxers & sweats.

"Sure thing."

Once dressed, I threw my clothes in the wash and headed for bed.

The next few months passed fairly quickly. We were district champs, who won regional's and were on our way to the state championship. This had never been accomplished by our school ever before so classes were cancelled so everyone could support us in the stands. The school we were playing was on the opposite side of the state and a good 8 hour bus ride. Our convoy rolled out at 6am stopping for lunch.

We pulled up to the school with just enough time for warm ups and stretching. On the way up coach had gone over the plays as well as the Wolves strengths and weaknesses. Coach always found ways to study the other team, not matter how far away they were. We won the coin toss and chose to receive. Jasper caught it and ran it up to the 35 before he was taken down. Running into formation I took the pass back and searched for Yorkie. He was open and caught it bringing us down to the 50. Two more downs and we were kicking our first field goal. It wasn't a touchdown but I'll take it. The Wolves took the ball, but we stopped them on our 30. By the end of the first quarter we were ahead 10-3. The second quarter began, and the Wolves pulled ahead14-10. We scored again, making it 17-10. By half time we were tied at 17. Coach psyched us up during the break and we were ready to kick ass. We needed to set this school record. The third ended with us ahead 24-17. Midway through the fourth we scored once more, bringing us to 31-17. The wolves scored another field goal soon after. We had the ball back, down to the two minute warning. There were no time outs left, and the score was at 31-20. No matter what happened we had it, we just couldn't make any stupid mistakes. The ball was on their 40 so I handed off to Edward. He gained 3 yards. The next play went to Newton giving us a gain for 6 yards. The clock was running down on the 3rd and 1 and Jasper was wide open. I threw long and he caught it, landing just over the goal line. We won, 38-20. Of course coach got doused with Gatorade, and that must have been miserable since it was the very end of November.

Once back on the bus, Jessica sat down next to me, offering me a congratulatory blow job. I considered it but then remembered the bon-fire and shot her down. There was no fucking way I was going through that again. We had an 8 hour ride home, and I refused to do it covered in puke. Sure she was sober as the game had just ended but it was one risk I was not willing to take. She huffed at the rejection and stomped off towards the back of the bus. The last cheerleader on was also the last one without a seat. She had no choice but to sit with me. I'd seen her around but never spoken with her before. Her hair fell down to middle of her back in strawberry blonde ringlets. She shot me an icy glare as she sat down. Fabulous, I get the ice queen for 8 hours. Good thing I remembered my disc-man and the spare batteries were well charged. I popped in my ear buds, and stared out the window.

Halfway through the latest Eminem album I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see the ice queen glaring at me. Christ on a cracker this chick is scary.

"Hi." Really dude, that's the best you can come up with?

"Is that the Encore you're listening to?"

"Yea, sorry. I'll turn it down."

"Oh, I don't mind, I was going to ask if you'd mind sparing an ear bud. I haven't heard the whole album yet."

"Uh, sure. You didn't strike me as a rap fan."

She laughed. Is that a smile I see coming through?

"I get that a lot. He's my favorite artist. I'm going to see him live in a few weeks."

"He's coming this way?" I gasped.

"Sure is. You know, I have an extra ticket if you want to go."

I was in shock, was this girl for real?

"Seriously?"

"Yes Emmett, seriously."

"Wait, how'd you know my name?"

"Who doesn't know your name? You're the quarterback! The whole damn town knows your name, plus being a cheerleader we're required to use it regularly."

"Oh. I guess I forget about that."

"I'm Rosalie Hale. I moved here the end of last year."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rosalie and I'd be honored to go."

We continued chatting for the rest of the bus trip, about Eminem which then turned to Ludacris. She told me about growing up in Texas, I told her about life here. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone on a bus trip. Before the end of the ride we'd made plans to grab pizza the next day and exchanged the obligatory information. I had a feeling she'd get along well with Alice and the other two knuckle heads.

The bus pulled up in front of the school and we all piled off. Edward had driven us to school, so mom and dad would just meet us at home. Rosalie sauntered off to meet her ride. She hadn't mentioned who was picking her up; I just saw long dark hair. Walking towards the car I damn near walked right into Edward, who was staring off in the same direction Rosalie had just gone.

"Dude, what are you staring at?"

"Huh?"

"Edward, you're staring."

"At who?" Is this kid for real?

"That's what I just asked you, clown."

Jasper snuck up behind us.

"Em, he's pining after Bella."

"And who the hell is Bella?"

"New girl, her sister was sitting next to you on the bus."

So Rosalie has a sister. My brother has the hots for her sister. This could work out well for all of us. I whipped out my phone and fired off a text to Rosalie, asked if she wanted to bring her sister tomorrow since my brother would now be joining us. Edward, was challenged when it came to talking to girls. He could go on for hours about anything but once a mildly attractive female came around, he clammed up. This also meant he had never been on a date. I'm not even sure he'd kissed a girl unless you count mom and nana. Wait, no, Jasper and I dared him to kiss Alice once. We never did that again. They were too much like brother and sister. Jasper and Ali though, that was an entirely different story. When she was 4 she told us she was going to marry Jasper. They won't admit there's anything going on between them but I see how they look at each other. Rosalie returned my text with an affirmative for tomorrow.

"Edward, you've got lunch plans for tomorrow."

" Um, I don't think I do?"

"You do, I just made them for you."

He cocked his eyebrow at me in confusion.

"You're coming with me for pizza."

"Ok." He's still out in lust field. Shaking my head I climbed into the back of the car.

The next morning I took off for my run, spending all that time on the bus before and after the game had cramped me up like nobody's business. Edward and Jasper were still asleep. I sort of wished I was too, but I knew if I slept in, I wouldn't get my run in later, and trying to run after eating pizza, is the worst idea ever. I made that mistake once. It'd started to rain, so I turned around. By the time I got home it was bordering on torrential downpour and I was drenched. Walking in the door I could smell cinnamon and vanilla wafting through. Dad was making his French toast. We didn't get it very often but damn was it good. My feet automatically carried me towards the kitchen. Midway there I heard mom yell for me to stop right where I was, and a towel was thrown at me.

"Strip."

"What?"

"You heard me the first time. Strip."

"Ma, I love you, but I'm not showing you my junk, it might make dad jealous." I braced myself for her hand to connect with the back of my head.

"In your dreams boy" dad shouted.

"He's right you know, plus I don't want water and mud all over my clean floors. If you want to eat, you'll strip where you stand."

"Ewww Ma!" I wrapped the towel around my waist as she turned around and went back to the kitchen. I made quick work of the rest of my clothes, leaving them in a pile around my feet.

"Happy now?"

"Yes, go get dressed and I'll throw them in the laundry."

Dry, dressed, and warm, I rejoined my family in the kitchen. It was worth the wait. I inhaled my plate full, not realizing that the syrup was dripping down my chin. Dad mumbled something about not being able to take me anywhere.

The rest of the morning was quiet, and I still had a bit of time to kill before dragging Edward into town to meet Rosalie and Bella so I fired up the Xbox to play some Halo 2. I'd beaten Halo in a week, and even though this one had been out for a few weeks, I hadn't had a chance to play. It was nice having Saturday's back to myself, that is until basketball starts anyway. Two hours later Edward reminds me it's time to go.

I hadn't told Edward who we were meeting there, knowing he'd back out. He'd pine after Bella for days on end but he was too chicken to actually speak to her. My conversations with Rose had enlightened me to the fact that Bella was the exact same. We walked in and settled into a booth. The girls weren't there yet so we just got sodas, I told the waitress I wasn't sure which pizza I wanted yet. Edward gave me some heavy side eye, knowing full well I get the same pie every time I go out. My order hasn't changed in 10 years.

"Since when do you not know what you want to eat on your pizza?"

"I feel like something different today, I'm just not sure what."

With that, the girls walked in and Rosalie settled in next to me. Edward looked up at Bella, dumbstruck. It was the funniest shit I'd seen in a while. Neither of them knew what to do so they just sat there, staring, well, Edward was sitting and Bella was staring. It took the waitress bringing the soda to snap them out of it. I kicked Edward in the shin to get him to slide over so Bella could sit. I knew he was bad, but I had no idea it was this out of it.

Lunch was long, since it took quite a bit of prompting to get them to speak to each other. Even then they answered in the shortest way possible. Eventually Rosalie and I gave up and got lost in our own conversation. The awkwardness was overwhelming. The waitress started lingering about an hour after the pizza was gone. There was no one else in there but we'd gone through about 5 refills each on the soda.

Not wanting to go home, we decided to catch a movie. I don't even remember what it was because once the lights were out, my face was otherwise occupied with Rosalie's. I can't say who made the move first, it just kind of happened. When we came up for air a good while later, I noticed that one of the two dorks had made a move, as they were holding hands. Huzzah! Maybe next week we can get them to say more than 3 words to each other. They're lamer than an episode of Sesame Street. I have my work cut out for me if Edward ever wants to get laid before he's 90.

The movie ended, which sadly meant we had to pry our lips apart. Rosalie grabbed her sister and took off for the powder room. Edward and I deposited ourselves on the benches outside, anxiously awaiting their return.

"How'd you like the movie Ed?"

"Dude, don't call me Ed, you know I hate it. The movie was alright. What'd you think?"

"Honestly bro? I was a bit distracted."

"I noticed. "

"Why's your hair all tweaked? I mean, it usually it but it looks a worse than usual."

"Uh, I…uh...I don't know." His eyes were darting furiously around the room, looking everywhere but at me.

"You kissed her!"

"No! I have no idea what you're talking about Emmett." His face was starting to turn the same color as the coke can in his hand.

"You're such a bad liar. You kissed Bella. Pound it bro" I extended my fist, which he reluctantly did pound.

"Now can you stop acting like an immature child over this?"

"Not a chance in hell bro, you've been on me and my chicks for as long as I can remember, no way am I going to let you off easy on your first."

Luckily for him, the girls returned and we made our way to Bella's truck. Our momma made sure we knew how to treat ladies well, which included opening doors, and making sure they got into their car safely. Even though our town was small, every once in a while a drifter would wander through, and we had a lot of tourists. You never know what could happen.


End file.
